


you have my world (you're my small universe)

by princepixel



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Attempt at Humor, Cuddling & Snuggling, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Secret Admirer, Secret Identity, Social Media, Strangers to Lovers, THAT LOOKS SO OUT OF PLACE LMAO, Yelp, everyone shows up at some point i love all my boys, famous yelp reviewers markhyuck, markhyuck dont have the best family backgrounds so jwoo is like their older brother aw, markhyuck took way more attention than i planned ahh these kids, slight mention of homophobia, slight rock band au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princepixel/pseuds/princepixel
Summary: Hopeless romantic (and really tired) coffee shop worker Jungwoo is just going about his days (read: keeping Mark and Donghyuck from killing each other) when he starts getting hit on through....Yelp reviews? Who the hell is this 'W.Y.H' person and why does he keep saying Jungwoo's ass is so 'hella fine'?And they say romance is dead.





	you have my world (you're my small universe)

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO..........im back with another dumbass luwoo fic bc (inhales deeply) i love these kids. tbh if i dont become known for luwoo and norenmin what am i even here for
> 
> forgive me for my lack of coffee knowledge lmao
> 
> title is from universe by exo! soft coffeeshop feels.

Jungwoo sighs and ties the pale green smock around his waist, having to loop it around the front to tie it because he’s so tiny. He runs a hand through his hair and slaps his cheeks a few times, trying to wake himself up. He’s so goddamn tired, working the late shift is always brutal.

 

He glances distractedly at the little clock in the corner of the dingy break room and groans, rolling out his shoulders in preparation for the next ten minutes.

 

Three…

 

He can hear pounding footsteps.

 

Two…

 

Someone is shrieking.

 

One.

 

Jungwoo steps aside calmly as the door bursts open and two small bodies come flying through it. One arm flies out to come between the boys. He braces himself with the other by clinging to the pipe on the wall that they hang the aprons on. His left leg hooks around the door before it can slam against the wall and dent it. Jungwoo breathes in for a few counts. Without missing a beat, he hip-checks the door closed and sweeps his leg around to catch the stack of tray liners that had slipped off the shelf from the boys’ flashy entrance.

 

This is routine.

 

“Woo-hyung, he’s going to kill me!” one of the boys wails.

 

“I swear to God you _promised_ to take my shift that Saturday! And leave Jungwoo-hyung out of this, you twat!”

 

“You swear to God? You can’t do that! Mark, I thought you were Christian!”

 

“Stop avoiding the fucking subject, Hyuck! You know I have the Battle of the Bands that day, you little snake!” Mark dives for Donghyuck’s throat.

 

Jungwoo really wants to defend Donghyuck, but he sees the miniscule smirk that flashes across his face. Oh, Donghyuck. The boys are actually best friends, just...Mark can be really oblivious, while Donghyuck is very hot tempered. They fight often, but they’re closer than anyone Jungwoo has ever met before-- and he dorms next to Johnny and Ten (that’s a nightmare on its own).

 

“Yeah, well what if _I_ wanted to compete in the Battle of the Bands, too? _Huh_? You only think about yourself, don’t you!”

 

“Oh, that’s _low_ and you know it! I paid for your ice cream last week!”

 

“Boys, please,” Jungwoo scrubs a hand over his face, placing the tray liners back on their shelf and shoving himself in between them, acting as a physical buffer between the fuming boys.

 

“Mark, your shift is 12-4 that day, right?”

 

Mark nods, glaring at Donghyuck. “This is _all_ your fault!” Mark looks like he’s winding up to punch Donghyuck, but everyone in the room knows it would hurt Mark more-- emotionally _and_ physically. Mark is super weak, and also super weak for Donghyuck.

 

Jungwoo slaps a hand over Mark’s mouth and pulls out his phone with the other, scrolling through his notifications to find his calendar. The younger boy looks affronted.

 

“Ooh, Jungwoo-hyung _snaaaaapped_ bitch! Go off!” Donghyuck taunts and sticks his tongue out at Mark. Jungwoo wants to scream. He could never figure out how a bunch of five year olds managed to get jobs at a coffee shop.

 

Jungwoo shoves his phone back in his pocket and slaps the other hand over Donghyuck’s mouth. Both boys are trying to yell at each other through their restraints.

 

Jungwoo doesn’t get paid enough for this shit.

 

He releases them and claps his hands together once, commanding their attention.

 

“Alright, listen up. Mark, I’ll take your shift for that Saturday. Donghyuck, team up with Mark and enter the competition together.” At the sounds of protest, Jungwoo holds up his hand. Both boys flinch back. “I don’t want to hear it. It’s called Battle of the _Bands_. One person isn’t a band. Besides, you two are actually a good team-- perform one of those acoustic songs you wrote the other day. Mark, you’re on guitar and backup vocals. Hyuck, do the main vocals and organize the set and decorations. There. Happy?”

 

The two of them are facing Jungwoo head on, but slowly shift their gazes towards each other, not moving a muscle. Mark cracks a smile, and the two turn and pounce on Jungwoo.

 

“Thanks, hyung! You’re the best!”

 

Jungwoo gives them a fond smile and ruffles Donghyuck’s hair in just the way he knows he likes. Donghyuck’s eyes widen dramatically and he peels himself off of Jungwoo with a flourish.

 

“Mark! We have to practice!”

 

And just like that, the whirlwind is flying out the door again.

 

This happens every other day. Jungwoo is a master of handling the famous Markhyuck pair, as they are dubbed by their friend group. If mediating his friend’s relationships was a sport, Jungwoo would be a god damn Olympic champion.

 

As if on cue, Jungwoo moves to catch the painting that slips off the little nail on the wall. This part, too, is routine. They somehow _always_ knock something over on their way in or out.

 

Jungwoo reaches out to tug on Mark’s shirt sleeve before he makes it all the way out the door, pulling him back a bit. Donghyuck treks on, unaware that his partner in crime was detained.

 

“...You bought his ice cream?”

 

Bingo. Mark flushes bright red. “Um...we were trying out this new place for our little Yelp thing and…” looking lost, Mark waves his phone in the air as if that provides any explanation, “I mean. He paid last time.”

 

Jungwoo hides a grin behind his hand. “When is he gonna realize that your little food blogger review sessions are actually dates?”

 

Mark groans. “They _aren’t_ dates! And...ugh, probably never. Actually, he probably knows exactly what I’m trying to do and is just being annoying about it so I’ll keep buying his food. Asshole.”

 

Jungwoo decides not to comment on the blush spread across Mark’s cheeks and ears, and how Mark keeps adjusting his beanie, a nervous habit of his.

 

“Alright, go on. Go practice. Make us proud!”

 

Mark gives him a big, dopey smile and turns to run after Donghyuck, but hesitates and gives Jungwoo one more big bear hug.

 

“Thank you again. Seriously.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

And with that, Mark is gone.

 

“Hey Duckie!!! Wait for me!”

 

Jungwoo watches him go with his hands on his hips, giggling softly.

 

Mark and Donghyuck have a cute hobby of trying every restaurant or food shop they can get their hands on, from tiny hole in the wall Italian restaurants to well known chains. After each trip, each boy posts his own review on Yelp, an app for reviewing and rating restaurants and businesses. They’ve garnered sort of a following on the app, being the dynamic duo that they are. They rated their own workplace a three out of five. (Donghyuck added an extra star for the cute boy working in the bakery and cake decorating department.) (He was talking about himself.)

 

Tough critics.

 

(Jungwoo kind of wishes he had someone to go on stupid little not-dates with).

 

He peers out to the front and sees Doyoung walking towards the break room, probably on his way to fetch Jungwoo for his shift.

 

Jungwoo shakes his head and flicks the lights off in the room, straightening his posture and preparing for another long night of ragged, tired college students and bizarre customers off the street.

 

Jungwoo _really_ doesn’t get paid enough for this.

  
  
  


-

 

 

 

 

“A strawberry muffin and a medium low-fat cappuccino with three shots of strawberry.” The lady in front of the register examines her nails.

 

Jungwoo slips on his powdered gloves and grabs some paper from the bakery, sifting through the muffin display until he finds the strawberry ones. He bags it up and hands it to the lady with a polite smile, turning to prepare the coffee.

 

Oh, _no_.

 

Jungwoo steels himself and turns on his heel. “We don’t have strawberry syrup right now, I’m sorry.”

 

The woman looks up from her perfectly manicured nails and gives him a hard stare. “I said three shots of strawberry.”

 

Jungwoo gulps. She’s one of _those_.

 

“We don’t have strawberry right now. We’re out.”

 

“So you had it yesterday but not today? Likely story. What, are you just lazy and don’t want to make it?”

 

 _Why are you getting a cappuccino with three shots of strawberry every single night?_ Jungwoo wants to ask. Instead, he gives her a strained smile, and a, “I’m sorry Ma’am, but we ran out.”

 

“Well, get more. Where’s your manager? Can I speak to him?”

 

Jesus Christ. The woman is whipping her head around furiously, her platinum blonde bob with black streaks through it (ew) flying everywhere.

 

Jungwoo takes a calm survey of the store. There’s a tired looking student at the table a few feet away, typing frantically. He nods off into his cup on occasion. Nearer to the back, an elderly couple sit and sip some herbal tea. Other than that, as the clock nears eleven pm, the shop is deserted. Doyoung is nowhere to be found, which means Jungwoo is the manager on duty.

 

“You are speaking to him.”

 

The woman huffs and just pays for her muffin, dramatically turning down the cappuccino when Jungwoo offers it to her without the strawberry shots. She saunters away and slams the door behind her.

 

Jungwoo puts his head in his hands. He loves his job, he really does, and normally he has the patience of an angel or maybe a kindergarten teacher, but people like that grate on his nerves so badly.

 

“Wow, she was a bitch,” the scruffy looking student near him takes an earbud out of his ear, having witnessed the whole encounter. “Yikes. You’re a saint for putting up with that.”

 

Jungwoo gives him a dry laugh mumbles a thank you. He goes to refill the boy’s drink, then disappears behind the counter to start tidying up.

 

He has a stare down with the oven they use to bake their products. He really hates cleaning it-- maybe he’ll leave it for the morning crew?

 

Fuck. Jungwoo _is_ the morning crew.

 

He rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

 

 

-

 

 

 

The bell chimes merrily as Jungwoo walks into Paradise Bakery, locking the door behind him. He glances at his watch; an hour and a half until opening. He walks over to the register to clock in, fingers trailing on the wallpaper as he goes. The shop is adorable, honestly. It’s slightly jungle themed, with parrots and frogs and other animals painted on the walls, and a waterfall cascading over on the side of the room. The dining area is always kept slightly dimmed and cool, creating a cozy little environment. It’s cute, and Jungwoo feels a rush of pride looking out at the modest establishment. He was one of the first workers to join the team, long before the store had its grand opening. He practically raised the little business, along with the small handful of other employees that stuck around. They only officially opened a few weeks ago, but business is already booming. They just need to carefully monitor audience response in order to turn customers into regulars, and they will thrive in no time.

 

Jungwoo lets out a little happy squeak and goes to boot up the ovens. He turns, coming face to face with Taeyong, his boss and good friend.

 

Taeyong is grinning in that way that immediately makes Jungwoo’s heart drop, because it means Taeyong is _definitely_ plotting something.

 

“You should check out the Yelp reviews.” Taeyong snickers and pushes his phone at Jungwoo, who only huffs a sigh and shoves it back at him.

 

“I need to start making the tarts for today. Plus, why do _I_ have to look through them? I thought Jaehyun was in charge of social media and customer outreach...Wait,” Jungwoo stops dead in his tracks, dizzy. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” he chews on a nail nervously. He hates messing up, always trying his damndest to be pleasant and helpful. It’s kind of his thing, his _charm_. Well, almost always. He thinks of Crazy Strawberry Lady and shivers.

 

“Just look.”

 

Jungwoo accepts the phone reluctantly, turning down the brightness (Taeyong is a monster and keeps his brightness all the way up, _and_ doesn’t put his phone on night mode. He shudders. How does Taeyong live with himself?)

 

The phone is opened up to the Yelp app. He scrolls down underneath the description and a few photos of their shop, until he lands on the most recent review, left a few days ago.

 

_“The drinks were good, but the cute register boy was what really made the trip worth it.”_

 

Jungwoo flushes, before reminding himself to check the date and time before getting too flattered. The review is _definitely_ from one of his shifts. He doesn’t remember whether he was manning the register the whole time or not, but the sentiment is still sweet enough. The review was left by someone simply calling themself, “W.Y.H”.

 

Jungwoo hands the phone back to Taeyong. “...Wow.”

 

Taeyong gives him a small smile and a clap on the shoulder. “Looks like someone’s got a little admirer!” he crows.

 

“You don’t know that. We don’t really know for sure who was on register whenever this person came in.” _Don’t get my hopes up._

 

“Oh, we all know it was you. Shut up and take the compliment for once.” Taeyong shoves at his shoulder playfully. Jungwoo tries to think back through his shift that day. He can’t for the life of him think of anyone who could have left that review. He shakes his head fondly and decides to put the incident out of his mind to focus on the upcoming day.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

His first customer is eagerly talking his ear off about her newly adopted daughter. The aforementioned daughter is sprinting all over the store and crashing into the glass floor to ceiling windows. It’s really cute, to be honest, but Jungwoo eyes the growing line behind the child’s mother nervously. There’s nothing worse than a long line of tired people trying to get their early morning coffee. Actually, scratch that-- the only thing worse than a long line of tired people is a long line of tired people with a _shrieking child_ in their midst.

 

After filling the order, he puts the next customer on hold for a minute and gently guides the child over to the chalkboard on the other side of the room. She gasps in excitement, and Jungwoo crouches down, hands behind his back. He presents her with a little cup of chalk and a proud smile. The child is now quiet and busy, drawing looping flowers and little animals all over the board, and the rest of the store heaves a sigh of relief. Best of all, Jungwoo can get on with the rest of the line.

 

Back at the counter, Jungwoo observes the little girl draw a little coffee cup and a “J” beside it. Aw.

 

“Um, hello?”

 

Oh, fuck. Jungwoo forgot about the customers.

 

“Sorry!” he exclaims with a guilty smile. “What can I do for you?”

 

The customer is pretty cute. Average height, pale strawberry blonde hair, nice smile. He gives Jungwoo his order straightforward and neatly, a blessing. Just two bagels, easy peasy.

 

“No drinks today?”

 

“No, that’s fine. I’m kind of in a rush.”

 

“Okay. Can I get a name for your order?” Jungwoo asks, reaching for a paper bag.

 

“Ah, Sicheng.” the man says. Ooh, exotic.

 

Jungwoo scrawls the name on the bag and sets it aside, moving to the bakery section to fetch the rest of the order.

 

At long last, the line dies down and Jungwoo can focus on bussing the dining area. He takes his trusty cloth and bends over to begin wiping down the tables, starting with the one by the odd man who’s talking to the parakeets on the walls. Jungwoo thinks he’s asking how their day has been. Hey, at least he’s polite.

 

Paradise attracts some truly weird people.

 

Jungwoo straightens up and prepares to move on to the next booth, when he hears a crash behind him.

 

He turns on his heel to survey the damage. There’s a pair of teenagers standing over a large puddle of coffee. It looks like they spilled the _entire cup_. God help Jungwoo.

 

He sends a quick prayer to the heavens for patience and makes his way over to the boys, twirling the towel in his hand. One of them is exceptionally tall, with wild hair and _really_ ripped jeans and a Naruto keychain swinging from his bag. He is shouting expressively at the smaller boy, who looks like he could be no older than a high school sophomore. Jungwoo knows he waited on the younger one, but can’t remember seeing the older one come in. He thinks he vaguely recognizes the duo as part of the rundown college crowd that he serves often-- ah! Perhaps the older boy was witness to Crazy Strawberry Lady the other day?

 

Jungwoo shakes the thought off and crouches down to clean up the spill as the older boy is apologizing and swearing up and down that it was his younger brother who caused the mess. Jungwoo doesn’t really care who did it, honestly, as long as he just gets it cleaned up and no one cries.

 

“Do you want a fresh cup?” he tilts his head at the small boy, who is pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers, looking pained. It looks like he got coffee on his yellow and black striped sweater. He looks like a sad bumblebee. Jungwoo feels bad for him. Naruto Boy won’t stop _babbling_.

 

Bumblebee Boy starts to shake his head, but Naruto Boy stomps on his foot and gives him a meaningful look. Jungwoo is so fucking tired.

 

“Yes. That’d be great. Thank you kind sir.” Bumblebee Boy says, completely monotone. He turns to the other boy and sort of looks like he wants to hit him. “I’m going to go to the bathroom to try and get this out. You remember my order, right?” Naruto Boy nods so hard Jungwoo wonders if his neck is okay.

 

“Alright, follow me.” Jungwoo leads him back up to the counter, where he deposits the coffee soaked rag in the little bucket underneath the register.

 

“Um...a café au lait, please.” Jungwoo never noticed the cute lilt to his voice. He must be foreign.

 

“Okay.” Jungwoo doesn’t bother to ask for his name, considering he’s the only one being waited on. Absentmindedly, he jots Naruto Boy down onto the cup. Bumblebee Boy comes out of the bathroom with a frown twisting his face. He sort of looks like he’s sucking on a lemon-- he must not have been able to get any of the coffee out. Ouch.

 

He sweeps their books off the table and ushers Naruto Boy out the door.

 

Jungwoo finishes his shift shortly after, ducking into the back room after serving a couple that was obviously on their first date, complete with the blushing and the fighting over who should pay. They’re shyly feeding each other bites of cake. Jungwoo’s heart aches more than he’d like to admit.

 

Jungwoo sighs with his chin propped up by the heel of his palm, watching the happy couples in the cafe as he waits for Renjun to come relieve him for his shift. Someday, he will be one of those happy people, booping whipped cream from his coffee onto his partner’s nose as they giggle.

 

Someday.

  
  


 

-

  


 

 

“Ohhhh _Jungwooooo_ ~” Ten singsongs, slamming the door to his apartment open.

 

“What the fuck, I didn’t give you a key.”

 

“No, but he has a foot.” deadpans Johnny, shuffling in behind his terror of a boyfriend.

 

Ten leaps straight onto Jungwoo, who is curled up on the ratty couch he bummed off someone at a yard sale. It’s ugly, an unmarketable shade of green with weird looking flowers on it, and looks like the wallpaper in a nursing home. Jungwoo loves it. It matches (using the term loosely, as artsy Renjun would argue) with his burnt orange curtains.

 

Jungwoo notably has no eye for interior design.

 

“ _So_ we heard all about your little…’lover boy’ from our good, trustworthy, lovely pal Donghyuck whomst I must immediately buy lunch for to thank him for the juicy info!” says Ten in one long breath.

 

It takes a few moments for the words to sink in. _Oh_. Ten must be talking about the Yelp reviewer. It’s probably been five hours since Jungwoo himself had even heard about it, of course Donghyuck and Ten have already gotten their grimy mitts on the information to torture him with. Sometimes he really hates having gossips and serial Yelpers for best friends.

 

Ten starts punching his arm. It doesn’t hurt at all thanks to Ten’s twig arms, but it’s annoying as all hell. Ten knows this, and boy, does he enjoy it. “Who is it who is it who is it!”

 

“Ten, you’d have known an hour before me if I knew literally anything about that.”

 

Ten deflates. “Oh, yeah.”

 

Jungwoo rolls his eyes.

 

“Hey, come on, man. I’m just trying to look out for you. You’ve seemed a little....lonely, lately.” Ten frowns and sits up from where he was trying to crush Jungwoo. He leans backwards so he’s pressed up against Johnny’s chest and threads his fingers through Johnny’s. It’s cute.

 

Fuck, Ten is right. Maybe Jungwoo is lonelier than he thought.

 

“Sorry, I just…” Jungwoo trails off, frown twisting his features, fiddling with his hands.

 

“Hey, hey. No getting sad on me.” Johnny whacks them both out of their moods. “Let’s take a look at this guy, huh?”

 

“Ugh, I don’t want to. The comment probably isn’t even about me.” Jungwoo burrows into his Mulan themed blanket.

 

Ten pulls up Yelp and keys Paradise into the search bar. “Oh, you guys have a new review.” he remarks, fingers flying across the screen. Johnny curls around Ten so that he can see the phone.

 

“Oh, Jungwoo. You are _definitely_ going to want to see this.”

 

Jungwoo rubs at his eyes and reluctantly grabs the phone.

 

_Didn’t get to try any drinks today, but register boy was the sweetest treat I could have asked for. Also, his ass is hella fine. -- W.Y.H_

 

“What the _fuck_!” Jungwoo chokes on his own spit as he yells shrilly, “ _Who in the_ \--”

 

Jungwoo was definitely the only one on register today.

 

“Oh, shut up. It’s a great compliment.” Ten waves his hand dismissively.

 

“Not helping.”

 

“I mean. At least he’s rated you five stars both times?” offers Johnny weakly.

 

“Not _. Helping.”_

 

Ten frowns at him and starts petting his hair gently. “Jungwoo, why are you against this so much? Who knows, this could be good for you. He could be... _the one_!” Ten wiggles his fingers in the air enthusiastically. Jungwoo can practically see the glitter exploding from the gesture.

 

Johnny cackles.

 

“Oh, god. What is it?”

 

Johnny angles the phone screen so it’s facing Jungwoo. It’s opened to W.Y.H’s profile. Clearly Johnny had been trying to do some ~reconnaissance~, but unfortunately the profile is blank except for “male” and…

 

“Oh my actual fucking god. His profile picture is just a zoomed in picture of nostrils. And _this_ is the guy you think could be my ‘Dream Guy’?” Jungwoo jabs his finger into Ten’s chest accusingly.

 

There is silence.

 

“You think it’s _his_ nostrils, though?”

 

“Johnny!”

 

“Hey! It’s a valid question. At least they seem clean.”

 

“I don’t want to discuss the implications of that statement.” Jungwoo puts his head in his hands, but…

 

He can’t deny his heart is fluttering a tiny bit at the fact that there could be someone out there with a legitimate interest in him.

 

“Well, whatever. I don’t have the foggiest idea of who this guy could be.”

 

“W….Y….H….” Johnny articulates each letter carefully. “They must be initials, right? Initials for something.”

 

Jungwoo ponders. “Yeah, I guess so…but for who?”

 

Lost in his thoughts, Jungwoo _almost_ misses the abrupt absence of a Ten in his lap and the mysterious rustling coming from his kitchen.

 

“ _Hey_! Ten! Stop eating my fucking food! ...You know I’d make it for you if you asked, anyways. Dummy.”

  


 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Jungwoo stretches. Another day on the job. Yesterday was his day off, and he spent it catching up on schoolwork and marathoning Disney movies. As it should be. No new reviews from W.Y.H came in in the past day, further solidifying the hypothesis that Jungwoo is the target of the mystery man.

 

Jungwoo taps his fingers on the cool granite counter. Who could it be? His mind wanders over the people he encountered over the course of his shift. Oh! Jungwoo brightens. Maybe it’s Sicheng, the cute strawberry blonde from the other day? He didn’t get a drink, just like the comment mentioned. Wait, no, there’s no ‘S’ in WYH....Fuck. Hm…perhaps it could be the sweet exchange student in the back right corner, the one who always curls up by the window? His name was Yuta, right? There’s a ‘Y’ in WYH! Except he’s pretty sure the boy is Japanese, and they don’t follow the same name structure, so it’s unlikely to be him. Not completely ruled out, but unlikely.

 

Jungwoo watches as a tall man wrapped in a fashionable scarf walks into the shop, heads straight for the back, and kisses Yuta directly on the mouth.

 

“Hansollie!~”

 

Okay. So maybe Yuta _is_ ruled out.

 

Could it be one of those two that caused the spill? Or-- Jungwoo shudders. Surely it’s not the man who talks to the wallpaper parakeets? Well, that would be just his luck.

 

“Hey, Taeil, can you watch register for a little bit? I need to go take inventory so I know what to order for next week.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

Jungwoo is in the back counting for no more than twenty minutes before Taeil calls him back out to deal with a rush. Sighing, he puts down his notepad and walks out.

 

When the dust settles a few moments later and all the customers have been served, Jungwoo can see one tall figure looming over a table near the front. They make eye contact.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“Oh, _fuck_!” the quaint coffee mug in the figure’s hand goes flying. It smashes on the ground, frail glass and mocha coffee going everywhere. Actually, is that hot chocolate? That’s...sort of endearing.

 

“I’m so sorry, did I startle you?” Jungwoo shoulders his way over to the crime scene after snagging the broom and dustpan they keep in the dip between the ovens.

 

The boy doesn’t respond or move at all, instead glaring at his fingers as if they’ve committed a horrible sin by betraying him. The pool of hot chocolate seeps towards his feet. From his backpack, Jungwoo can see...huh?

 

“Oh! It’s you, Naruto Boy!” Jungwoo blurts out in shock. The boy swivels towards him, mouth falling open.

 

“I’m so sorry, oh my gosh. I swear, I didn’t mean to I just...” he says, sheepish eyes looking everywhere except for at Jungwoo.

 

Jungwoo quirks an eyebrow. “You just…?” he teases lightly.

 

“I got, um. Distracted, I guess.”

 

“Not a problem.” Jungwoo bends down and starts to sweep up the broken glass.

 

“Fuck, um-- this is my fault, let me--”

 

Before Jungwoo can express just what a horrible idea that is, the boy crouches down beside him and promptly gets glass in his hand. Jesus _fucking_ christ.

 

“Uh. Oops.”

 

“Let me see that.” Jungwoo takes his hand into his own palm. Holy shit, this guy’s hands are _huge_. Just one of them almost eclipses one of Jungwoo’s hands entirely. Jungwoo flushes. This close, he can see Naruto Boy’s big doe eyes and wobbly smile. He’s...cute.

 

He’s also bleeding.

 

A _lot_. Oh, fucking hell.

 

“Come with me. Taeil, can you hold down the fort?” he calls over the counter, free hand encircling the wrist of Naruto Boy’s non-bleeding hand.

 

He leads him to the bathroom briskly, rooting through the bottom cabinets of the sink for their first aid kit.

 

“Ah, here.” Naruto Boy hops up on the counter and offers his hand out. Jungwoo opens the small white box and starts to clean the aforementioned boy up, carefully fishing out any remaining shards of glass and throwing them away. The poor boy is still so flustered by the time Jungwoo finishes. He won’t make eye contact and his long legs swing in the air.

 

“All better.” Jungwoo gives him a small smile. He feels really bad. “Would you like a new hot chocolate? On the house, I promise.”

 

He sure seems to be giving this guy a lot of free drinks.

 

“...Sure. Thanks.” Naruto Boy follows him out of the bathroom.

 

Taeil waggles his eyebrows at Jungwoo as he hops behind the counter to take the boy’s order. “Getting freaky in there?”

 

“ _Gross_ , no. He cut his hand on the broken mug.” Jungwoo shoves Taeil back into the back room, and goes back to the boy in front of the register.

 

“...Name?” Jungwoo decides to ask this time.

 

“Oh-- it’s, um. Lucas. You can call me Lucas.” his eyes dart wildly around the room.

 

Jungwoo gives him a little smile and whirls around to prepare his replacement drink. He carefully sets it in ~~Naruto Boy~~ _Lucas’s_ unbandaged hand (it’s sweaty, but he’ll forgive it) and sends him on his way.

 

Right before he reaches the exit, Lucas pauses. “Hey, why did you call me ‘Naruto Boy’?”

 

Jungwoo laughs into his fist and points wordlessly at the growing number of Naruto keychains and buttons on his backpack. The guy isn’t subtle.

 

“Oh. Right.” he flushes, and pushes the door open, nearly spilling his drink on himself again.

 

Jungwoo facepalms. At least he’s cute.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Renjun sends him a text that same night. It’s just a link, no other context.

 

Jungwoo clicks on it cautiously. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been sent a virus, or worse, been _rickrolled,_  through text, but this is from Renjun. Surely he can trust Renjun?

 

It opens to Yelp.

 

_GUYS HIS SKIN IS SO SOFT ITS LIKE...like something really soft. Like, a cat, or something? Anyways....I can see why the place is called Paradise. I think I really like him [crying face] -- W.Y.H_

 

He definitely can’t trust Renjun.

  


 

 

-

  


 

 

Jungwoo has the next morning off, and he’s excited to spend it lazing about and sleeping in, only to rise from the dead at three pm and eat breakfast, after which he will go back to his Disney movie marathon, happily cocooned in his blankets until he has to leave for work.

 

He’s thrilled.

 

“So, tell me again why I’m out for breakfast with you guys at nine in the morning.” Jungwoo wants to slam his head into his plate of waffles and strangle himself with the nearby curtain. Somehow, Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun convinced him to go to breakfast with them-- scratch that, he thinks he’s actually just been conned into buying the three of them breakfast. Jungwoo curses the fact that he’s so weak for the younger kids. He also feels uncomfortably like a fourth wheel, which is an experience one can really only get with the very special trio that is NoRenMin.

 

Jaemin fiddles with the straw of his smoothie. Well, actually, the smoothie belongs to all three of them. They got an extra extra large with three straws and are all sipping it like the disgustingly in love teens they are. Seriously, how did they coax Jungwoo out here?

 

“Well, hyung, we were wondering about that secret admirer of yours.” Jeno admits.

 

Jaemin leans in. “Yeah, figured out anything?”

 

That curtain is looking more enticing each minute.

 

Jungwoo groans. “Not you guys, too?”

 

“What can we say. We’re suckers for a good romance.” Renjun speaks for the three of them, then shoves an entire pancake into his mouth. Jaemin sighs at him dreamily. Jeno holds his hand underneath the table. Jungwoo winces.

 

“He just said my ass was nice. That’s not romance.”

 

Jeno looks contemplative for a minute. “It’s a start.”

 

“Guys. Seriously. I don’t know anything about him, and I don’t care!” Jungwoo insists, “No one else cares either, can we please drop it?”

 

“Actually…” Renjun turns his phone to Jungwoo’s face, “Remember that post I sent you last night? It’s been gaining attention.”

 

Attention?

 

_GUYS HIS SKIN IS SO SOFT ITS LIKE...like something really soft. Like, a cat, or something? Anyways....I can see why the place is called Paradise. I think I really like him [crying face] -- W.Y.H_

 

_Reply to @W.Y.H:_

_Awww this is so cute!!! I’m rooting for you guys [crying emoji] <3 -- HealingSmile _

 

_Reply to @W.Y.H:_

_Make a move, man!!! We’ve got your back. Yelp fam is here for u [peace sign emoji]_

_\-- DolphinImpersonator_

 

_Reply to @W.Y.H:_

_You guys sound adorable. I hope he finds you soon~_

_\-- TY Track_

 

“Oh, god. I didn’t even know that Yelp had a community like that.”

 

“Well, they do, and now they’re attached to you two.” Jeno giggles.

 

“Wait--” Jungwoo squints at the screen, “was that last one-- _Taeyong_?”

  


 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Jungwoo wipes his hands on his apron and goes to dust the top of the ovens. The night shift really does suck. Customers have been trying to hit on him all night. Either they’ve heard the rumor about the Paradise barista with the nice ass, or Jungwoo really shouldn’t have dyed his hair dark blue.

 

“Uh?” someone makes a small questioning noise from behind him. Jungwoo turns around and almost drops his duster.

 

“Oh! You’re back already?”

 

It’s Lucas.

 

The boy looks a bit embarrassed. “I guess.”

 

“How’s your hand?”

 

“Ugh it’s-- it’s better. Can we please not talk about that, though.” the tips of his ears are turning bright red.

 

Jungwoo giggles. “Sure. Hot chocolate again?”

 

Lucas shakes his head. “What do you recommend?”

 

“I don’t eat here, kid, are you joking?”

 

Lucas stares at him.

 

“Just kidding. I really love the ristretto, but some days are more of a caffè mocha, you know?”

 

Lucas nods his head definitively. “Totally. Sure do. Of course. Actually, I’m, like,  _so_ good with coffee you could call me the _Coffee Connoisseur_.”

 

It’s clear he has no idea what the hell Jungwoo is talking about.

 

“I’ll just grab you the second one, if you liked the hot chocolate so much.” Jungwoo turns to grab the drink, and when he comes back Lucas is leaning on the counter. All his weight is on his elbow, the other arm reaching up and behind his head. He’s got the foot on his far leg popped at the ankle, and somehow he’s produced a snapback out of absolutely nowhere. It looks extremely uncomfortable.

 

“So, uh. You come here often?” Lucas shuffles his feet nervously.

 

Jungwoo suppresses a laugh, pointing at his name tag that very clearly says ‘ _Jungwoo (General Manager)’_ “...You could say that.”

 

“Uh, right. Cool. See you soon, I guess.” Lucas drops the pose with a little sigh and accepts the drink, not sticking around to embarrass himself any longer. He looks pretty satisfied with himself, though, if the swagger walk he adopts on his way out of the store gives any indication.

  


 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Taeyong and Jaehyun track Jungwoo down the next morning with twin grins.

 

_CUTE REGISTER BOY!!!! HIS SMILE COULD MAKE FLOWERS GROW !!!!!!!!! YAAAA HE TALKED TO ME TODAY!!! YA BOI GOT GAME!!!! [dab emoji] --W.Y.H_

 

“How did he even put in a dab emoji? There is no dab emoji.”

 

“Now _that’s_ a power move.”

 

“I hate him. Oh my god, I hate him. I absolutely hate him.” Jungwoo repeats, head in his hands.

  


 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Jungwoo is alone at his apartment. As usual, this does not last long.

 

He’s peacefully cuddled up on the couch, reading a book to the soft sounds of the rain outside, when another body flops on top of him. It’s a slightly soggy Mark.

 

“How do you people keep breaking into my home?” Jungwoo sighs even as he pulls Mark closer and wraps the blanket around him, book completely forgotten. Hell yeah, it’s cuddle time.

 

“It was an emergency.”

 

“What emergency?”

 

“...I wanted a hug.”

 

Mark snuggles into him, and they are quiet for a moment, listening to the rain. Mark’s fingers play with the frayed strings at the end of the warm afghan blanket.

 

“Hyung~” Mark whines softly, “Will you please come see me and Duckie at the Battle of the Bands? It would mean a lot to us…” Jungwoo grins and cards his hands through Mark’s hair as the boy lays sprawled over him. He knows their parents probably won’t be coming.

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

“Aww, thank you! Anyways...how are things going with mystery man?”

 

Jungwoo is just about to slap Mark upside the head and ruin their adorable little cuddle session when Love Me Right by EXO blasts through the room. Jungwoo hunts around in the couch cushions for a minute and emerges a few seconds later, triumphantly pulling Mark’s phone from the mess of blankets. He throws it to him with a shit eating grin.

 

“ _Beloved Donghyuckie_ is calling. Don’t want to leave your boyfriend hanging, now do you.”  Jungwoo snickers.

 

“Wh- stupid Donghyuck! He must have changed his name in my phone _again_!”

 

Jungwoo stares at him and wonders how in the world they couldn’t see how in love they are. It’s plain as day. There is no Mark without Donghyuck, or Donghyuck without Mark. Christ, if only they’d confess already.

 

Jungwoo’s shift the next day passes by quietly, with no flirty customers, no Lucas, and certainly no W.Y.H.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Lucas shows up the next day at work in a ruffled dark red uniform. When Jungwoo raises a brow at the disheveled boy in front of him, Lucas open his mouth and just doesn’t shut it.

 

“Well, I work at the grocery store next door and I just got off my shift and oh man it was really rough but I was walking past here and thought I should go say hi even though I don’t have any money on me right now I just kind of wanted to pop in but I didn’t know when your shift ended not like I didn’t want to see anyone else here but like I just really wanted to catch you before you left and oh god what the hell were all these customers on today they were so _demanding_ \--”

 

It’s cute. Lucas is like a little puppy.

 

Jungwoo makes him a ristretto (again, on the house. Taeyong is gonna kill him one of these days). Lucas’s face screws up when he thinks Jungwoo isn’t looking; he must really hate coffee. Jungwoo wonders distantly why Lucas decided to become a regular at a coffee shop if he hates coffee so much.

 

“When, uh. When is your break?”

 

Doyoung materializes out of literally nowhere and shoves Jungwoo into the dining area.

 

“...Right now, apparently.”

 

Lucas scuffs his foot a little. “Wanna sit with me?”

 

“Yeah. That sounds great.”

 

They talk for ages about everything, from crazy customer service stories, to college, to wild friends, to interests and hobbies.

 

Lucas looks good in red.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

_Oh my god, you guys. Yelp fam. He’s so adorable. All he was doing was refilling the syrup bottles and my heart was going !!!!! [incomprehensible string of soft looking emojis] !!!!!! Man... I wish I had some way to learn more about him… -- W.Y.H_

 

“Aw. That’s pretty cute.” Jungwoo flushes crimson. He decides to sift through the comments, to see how the Yelp community is reacting to this one.

 

“Wait a minute-- What the fuck? LEE. DONG. HYUCK _. YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!”_

 

_Reply to @W.Y.H:_

_His instagram is @snoopyboywonder if you’re interested. Go chase ya mans ;)_

_\-- FullSunshine_

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

“Ever thought that it could be that boy that keeps coming in to see you? Lucas, right?” Kun says, witnessing Jungwoo sigh over his phone for the twelfth time in the past seven minutes.

 

Jungwoo groans and slams the phone down.

 

“Hey, hey. What did that phone ever do to you, huh?” Kun pries it out of his grip. Jungwoo has been scrolling through Yelp for twenty minutes now.

 

“It’s not telling me what I want to hear.” Jungwoo gripes. “For the record, I _have_ thought about it being Lucas, but the comments don’t match up and the names have literally zero correlation. There’s no way.”

 

Kun frowns. “That sucks. It doesn’t mean that Lucas doesn’t have a crush on you, though.”

 

Jungwoo jolts. “What?”

 

“You didn’t notice? He literally shattered a mug when he saw you because he was so stunned by your “beauty” or whatever. Apparently he even said “Wow, that _smile_! _”_ right before he dropped it. Taeil told me all about how it went down.” he waves a hand.

 

Jungwoo’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. He’s speechless. Lucas...likes him? In what world would Jungwoo ever be that lucky?

 

There’s that mysterious person on Yelp who seems to really like him, but now there’s Lucas too and...ugh. Jungwoo is hopelessly confused.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

“RISE AND SHINE LITTLE MAN!!!” Jungwoo yells as much as a Jungwoo is able to yell, throwing open the curtains of Mark’s room. “Today’s the big day!”

 

Mark groans and squirms around in his bedsheets. “Mmfghmmf….don’t wanna get up….”

 

“Don’t make me get a bucket of ice water.”

 

Silence.

 

“Or I could get Taeyong.”

 

Mark shoots out of bed at the threat, springing upright into a soldier’s salute. “Sir! Yes! Sir!”

 

“Very funny.” Jungwoo tries to ruffle Mark’s unruly bedhead, but his hand gets stuck halfway through. He doesn’t really know how, since the kid doesn’t even have that much hair. “Go get freshened up. I already packed your guitar in the car, and Hyuckie should be on his way any time. He’s meeting us here first.”

 

Mark straightens up a bit more at the news. “Then I gotta do my hair.” he says, all of a sudden looking very concerned with himself in the mirror, pulling at his limp, sad looking bedhead.

 

Jungwoo giggles and pushes Mark into the bathroom, going downstairs to prepare breakfast for him like a good brotherly figure. Mark’s parents aren’t even home, anyways.

 

Jungwoo’s mind wanders while he fries the eggs (Mark will only eat them scrambled, and Jungwoo has to get some protein into the boy). He was lucky enough to get Kun to cover his shift last minute, but it means he won’t get to see Lucas today...and probably won’t see any potential WYH matches either. But more importantly, he won’t see _Lucas._

 

Lucas has been dropping by more and more often, just to chat with Jungwoo. It’s really sweet. Jungwoo thinks he may be getting just a bit attached to the goofy oaf.

 

Mark thunders down the stairs, looking nervous. Whether he’s nervous for the competition, or nervous to see Donghyuck, Jungwoo can’t tell.

 

Jungwoo presents him with the plate of breakfast. He had curved the bacon on the bottom of the plate into a little smile, shaping the scrambled eggs into eyes. He had also written, ‘Good Luck!’ in ketchup on the side of the plate because Mark is the weird type of kid to enjoy ketchup with his scrambled eggs. Mark’s face crumples. He looks like he’s going to cry. He tackles Jungwoo with a big hug, squeezing him tightly. Jungwoo lets out a startled laugh and sets the plate down on the table, hugging him back just as hard.

 

“Thanks for being here.” Mark whispers, face crushed up against Jungwoo’s shoulder. Jungwoo’s heart melts into a little puddle and drips out his eyes.

 

“‘Course.”

 

Their sweet brotherly bonding moment is interrupted by a very incessant doorbell that could only be commanded by the very incessant Lee Donghyuck.

 

Mark jumps out of his arms. “Hyuckie!!! Woo-hyung made breakfast, want some?”

 

Jungwoo looks longingly at the second plate he had made for himself, and slides it over to Donghyuck’s chair (yes, Donghyuck has a specific chair he’s claimed at Mark’s house. Donghyuck is also a weird kid). He sighs, glancing at his watch. He can always grab breakfast on the way there.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

The competition is held in a wide, grassy park in the middle of their city. Attendees roam around comfortably in the warm weather. There’s a giant stage set up in the middle, with drum sets and sound equipment galore. Jungwoo wanders the stands of the festival after sending Mark and Donghyuck off. They have to verify their competition slot, practice soundcheck, and then wait backstage. Jungwoo regrets that he can’t be with them throughout the whole process, but they assure him that he’s done enough. Jungwoo has a feeling that they’ll be able to calm each other down well enough.

 

“Well, well, well, look who it is!” Jungwoo jumps from where he was examining a cute treble clef necklace that he was considering buying for Donghyuck.

 

He breaks into a grin. “Hey, Lucas.”

 

And, wow. Lucas looks good. He’s in ripped dark wash skinny jeans (of course) with a belt, a maroon short sleeved t-shirt with a v neck, and checkered vans. Earrings glitter in his ears, and he looks like he has a bit of brown eyeliner smoked out around the edges of his eyes. His normally wild hair is styled out of his face, a few strands falling over his forehead. Most importantly, there is no snapback to be found.

 

Lucas looks _really_ good.

 

“What are you doing here, Snoopy?” Lucas tries to lean against the stand all suave, but ends up knocking over a bunch of merchandise. He complains until Jungwoo stops laughing at him.

 

(Jungwoo shakes off the uneasy feeling that runs through him at the nickname.)

 

“My friends Mark and Donghyuck are competing. They’re like my little brothers.” Jungwoo says with a proud grin, chest puffing up.

 

“That’s awesome! My actual brother Chenle is also competing, along with his boyfriend, Jisung. Jisung was with me the first day we went to your cafe. He teaches me Korean!” There Lucas goes, oversharing without being asked. He’s really endearing.

 

“Ah, good luck to them, then!” Jungwoo cranes his neck around, spying a clock on the other side of the stand. “Oh, it’s almost time for the festival performances to start. Do you...want to watch together?”

 

“I’d like nothing more.” Lucas shoots him a greasy smile and a wink.

 

“Please never do that again.”

 

“Gladly.”

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

The pair are clearly the loudest at the festival. The normally reserved Jungwoo is screaming his head off when the lights dim for Donghyuck and Mark’s stage (he gets glared at by some bitter middle aged ladies for doing it, but he couldn’t be happier).  It’s absolutely heart stopping. Dusk begins to set in as the spotlight lands on the middle of the stage, where two simple stools are set up. Mark and Donghyuck walk onto stage to screams and cheers. Donghyuck had hung stars from every inch of the stage, and they glow as the sun sets and the stage darkens. The curtain behind them is inky black with constellations sprinkled throughout via little gems and rhinestones and glow in the dark paint. Mark strums his guitar, setting the mood before Donghyuck’s angelic voice rises above as the melody. They harmonize beautifully in the middle of a universe they built themselves. It’s truly a performance that can’t be beaten.

 

Jisung and Chenle perform an upbeat pop song, Chenle’s voice reaching notes that no one thought was even in the human range (conspiracy: Zhong Chenle is perhaps not human?) and Jisung pulls off a killer dance break in the middle, causing Jungwoo to turn to Lucas in the middle of it and shout, “Does that boy have no _bones_?!”

 

Jungwoo gives them all the biggest hugs they’ve ever gotten after they exit the stage. Donghyuck and Mark clamber onto him, smothering him completely. Everyone else surrounds them, clapping them on the back and congratulating them. After a few minutes, Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun break off and start taking turns feeding each other a few feet away.

 

While waiting for scores to be announced, Donghyuck clutches one of Jungwoo’s hands, and Mark takes the other. There are a _lot_ of phenomenal performances by a lot of talented young kids.

 

In the end, it’s Donghyuck and Mark’s name on the trophy.

 

When they separate from Jungwoo to go up and receive their acknowledgements and award, Jungwoo notices their hands wind around each other, and he smiles softly. He cheers harder than anyone else in the festival.

  


 

 

-

  


 

“We’ll beat you next time.” The two boys, Lucas’s friends, approach Mark and Donghyuck and stare them down. Well, actually it’s just one of them doing the staring. Chenle is giggling at some joke Mark made. Those two are getting along well.

 

“Likely story.” Donghyuck huffs.

 

The first boy looks him up and down, a sneer on his face. Jungwoo vaguely recognizes him as Bumblebee Boy. “The name’s Jisung. Jisung Park.” he steps forward, getting into Donghyuck’s space.

 

Donghyuck bristles. “Donghyuck. Lee Donghyuck. I’d say my friends call me Hyuck, but you _aren’t_ my friend.” he spits like it’s the most offensive thing in the world.

 

“Oh my god can both of you stop, literally neither of you are cool.“ Jeno cuts in, pushing them away from each other.

 

“Jeno, you _know_ this kid?”

 

“Not a kid.” Jisung interrupts hotly.

 

“Yeah, he’s in my dance class. Can you guys _please_ just get along?”

 

The scolded boys wilt.

 

“Let’s try again. Hi, I’m Jisung. I’m Chenle’s boyfriend.” he points to the fluffy haired boy proudly.

 

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m Donghyuck, and I’m _Mark’s_ boyfriend!” he declares with a prideful grin. Beside him, Mark spits out twelve watermelon seeds.

 

“Hyuck, what the hell?” Jungwoo hasn’t heard Mark’s voice go this high since puberty.

 

“Oh shit, I _knew_ there was something I forgot to do.” Donghyuck grabs Mark by the shirt collar and pulls him in for a strong kiss on the lips.

 

Mark flounders for a few moments, completely caught off guard. Stunned, he catches Jungwoo’s wide eyes, who quickly flails his hands at him in a gesture he hopes accurately conveys, ‘ _KISS HIM BACK YOU FOOL!’_

 

He can almost see the wheels of ‘ _Mark doesn’t like me back’_ spinning in Donghyuck’s head. Jungwoo wants to bang his head against the wall. _Don’t fuck this up, Mark!_ Just in time, Mark loops his arms around Donghyuck’s neck and kisses him back. And he finally closes his damn eyes.

 

Jungwoo feels really proud. And...really creepy.

 

He turns and grins at Lucas. “Let’s give them some privacy, hm?”

  


 

-

 

 

 

“Hey, hyung?” Donghyuck asks quietly, wandering over to where Jungwoo is sitting. Jungwoo is at his house to help him put away the equipment and decorations from the day.

 

“What’s up, Hyuck?” Jungwoo asks, giggling at his little rhyme.

 

“It’s okay, right? You know…” he plays with his fingers, not meeting Jungwoo’s eyes, “Me...Me ‘n Mark?” Jungwoo stares at him, dumbfounded.

 

“Duckie, we’ve been waiting for you guys to get together for literally _years_ now.”

 

Donghyuck blinks, and he blushes. “Yeah, I just. You know how it is. Parents, and all.”

 

“Oh, Hyuck.” Jungwoo opens his arms wide, allowing the smaller boy to burrow into his arms. “You know you always have our support.”

 

“Yeah, I know. Thank you.”

 

Donghyuck’s phone pings. He squints down at it, shifting in Jungwoo’s hold. “Huh, that’s odd.”

 

Jungwoo makes an inquisitive noise. Donghyuck passes him the phone. “You have a new review.”

 

_He’s truly one of the best people I think I’ve ever met. Oof, you guys. You should have seen how kind he was today, and how cute he looked. His hair looked so soft, and he treats everyone around him so well. How can someone be such an angel? I really think I’m in love :((( --W.Y.H_

 

“Aww...” Jungwoo says, smiling sweetly. At this point, the mystery reviews are flattering, but really not a surprise.

 

Donghyuck sits up at the same time it hits Jungwoo.

 

“Duckie.”

 

“Woo-hyung?”

 

“I wasn’t at work today.”

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Jungwoo bounces on the balls of his feet as he waits for Paradise to open for the day.

 

“Come on, come on.” he urges the clock. He wants answers today. He’s ready to scrutinize every last customer if that’s what it takes to find this mystery guy. He runs through every person he spoke to the other day, which was a _lot_. It was a big event, and Jungwoo is a pretty sociable guy who had two very impressive champions hanging off each arm all day. There were a lot of conversations going on.

 

“Who! Could! It! _Be_!” Jungwoo bangs his head on the counter.

 

“Hey, we paid lots of money for those counters. Don’t dent them.”

 

Jungwoo shoots a tired glare at Jaehyun. “Not today, please.”

 

Jaehyun comes over and rubs Jungwoo’s back. “Tough day yesterday?”

 

“No, it was great, actually. Mark and Hyuck won the festival, which they totally deserved. It was great. Just...I got another message from the Yelp guy, and now I’m even _more_ confused! I wasn’t even at work the other day! You don’t think he’s mistaken me for someone else, right? Maybe I really was jumping to conclusions thinking the posts were about me…” Jungwoo sighs sullenly into his hands.

 

Jaehyun hums in a very grandfatherly fashion. “I obviously can’t say for sure, but somehow I don’t think that he could be talking about anyone else.”

 

“Thanks, I guess.”

 

The shift passes slowly. Jungwoo searches for even a _single_ customer that could be the mysterious Yelp guy, but he comes up completely empty handed. He even makes another pass at the Wallpaper Parakeet Whisperer, but he’s pretty sure the guy doesn’t even own a phone. The possibility of him being a frequent Yelper is pretty much out.

 

“This is hopeless.” he’s in the middle of whining to Kun when the bell chimes, announcing someone entering.

 

“Oh, hey Lucas.” Finally, something good about this day. If Jungwoo can’t work on tracking down Yelp guy, at least he can pass the time with someone he’s really beginning to enjoy the company of. Jungwoo casts his gaze downward to the register monitor to key in Lucas’s regular order (not coffee). He throws a cookie in the bag for the hell of it. Taeyong or Jaehyun can take it out of his paycheck. He’ll live.

 

He serves Lucas his drink, second nature at this point, writing his name on the cup in slightly swirlier font than his normal messy scrawls. Okay, so maybe Jungwoo is a little bit whipped for the dorky giant.

 

“Thanks!” Lucas straightens out his perpetually creased grocery store vest and sips his drink. He spills a little bit on the vest, and Jungwoo leans forward to wipe it off before it can stain his uniform. His eyes land on something he never expected to see, not in his wildest dreams.

 

Lucas’s _name tag._ Wong Yukhei.

 

_Wong. Yuk. Hei._

 

_W.Y.H._

 

_Jungwoo’s secret Yelp admirer._

 

Jungwoo splutters. “Yukhei?”

 

 ~~Lucas~~   ~~Yukhei~~?? Lucas tilts his head. “What?”

 

“Your name is Wong Yukhei?”

 

“Oh, that. Yeah, Lucas is just a nickname. It’s my English name. Why?”

 

Jungwoo puts his head in his hands and has a good, long sigh. Holy shit. All this angsting, all this wondering, all this _confusion_ about if he was being led on or not, and it’s just because Yukhei gave him a fucking nickname when they met.

 

“Friday.” he blurts, dizzy.

 

“Huh?”

 

“This Friday. Are you free?”

 

“I...yeah?” Yukhei looks really confused now, brows meeting in the middle of his forehead. “Are you feeling okay, Snoopy?”

 

Fuck, and there it is. Jungwoo’s nickname, the one Yukhei would only know through his instagram, which Donghyuck leaked to the mysterious Yelper. It’s all falling into place. Jungwoo’s head shoots up from where he was cradling it.

 

“Good. This Friday. You and me? We’re going on a date.”

 

Yukhei can’t speak for a full twenty seconds. Jungwoo times it.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

 

-

 

 

 

Jungwoo finishes counting the bills in the register at long last, jotting the night’s information down onto a form for Jaehyun and Taeyong to look over the next day. He logs out and closes the registers down for the night, then turning to get out the cleaning spray and washcloth for the windows. He wanders around the shop in the dim light, wiping down the doors and windows, lost in his own thoughts.

 

He _cannot_ believe this turn of events. Jungwoo spritzes the window in front of him. After everything, Lucas turned out to be his mystery man. He absentmindedly polishes it, and nearly drops his rag when he clears away the cleaning spray.

 

Speak of the devil, Yukhei is slouched against one of the plaza’s support columns, hands in his pockets and head tipped back towards the bricks. He’s got earbuds in and his eyes closed, head bobbing along to whatever he’s listening to. As Jungwoo watches, Yukhei pushes himself off the wall and starts to jump around a bit, skipping and hopping. He throws some fake punches and holy shit, is he trying to moonwalk?

 

Jungwoo snickers behind his hand. He’s positive Yukhei hasn’t seen him yet, which means he can keep enjoying the show. Yukhei continues to skip around the area for a few minutes, flailing his arms wildly to what Jungwoo can only assume is the beat of the song. Without even realizing it, a fond smile worms its way onto Jungwoo’s face. God, how did he end up even falling in love with this guy?

 

Jungwoo decidedly doesn’t linger on the fact that his brain used the word _love_. That’s a crisis for another night.

 

Jungwoo decides to get back to work once Yukhei starts trying some breakdance moves. He isn’t super keen on witnessing his boyfriend (??? maybe???) crack his head open on the pavement while waiting for Jungwoo to leave. The faster Jungwoo closes, the safer Yukhei’s skull will be.

 

 

-

  


 

Yukhei loiters outside Paradise, counting down the seconds until Jungwoo is supposed to get off his shift. As soon as Jungwoo throws open the doors and sees Yukhei still waiting for him, Jungwoo stalks up to him, whirls him around, and kisses him, slow and deep. He hangs on for a few moments. Hand all twisted up in Yukhei’s uniform, he bumps the godforsaken name plate that _somehow_ Yukhei had either lost or forgotten to wear all these months. Yukhei kisses him back enthusiastically, hands gripping Jungwoo’s waist tightly, but softly. One hand travels up his back to tangle in Jungwoo’s dark blue locks.

 

Jungwoo thinks about how he’s never been held this tenderly, this _carefully_ , before. Yukhei treats him as if he is a priceless, precious piece of art. Perhaps Jungwoo could get used to this.

 

He releases him with a gasp.

 

“ _That_ ,” Jungwoo wheezes, “was for the last few weeks.”

 

“Cool. Can we do it again?”

 

“Oh my god can you at least _try_ to be romantic.”

 

Yukhei trails a hand down Jungwoo’s face, lightly skimming over his cheekbones, and cups his cheek. He leans in to press kisses all over, from Jungwoo’s forehead to the tip of his nose to his eyelids. He inches closer to his lips, kissing each corner first, before finally gently pressing his lips to Jungwoo’s. Jungwoo’s eyes flutter shut happily, rising on his tiptoes.

 

“How was that for romantic?” Yukhei pulls back with a cocky grin.

 

“Fine, I guess.” Jungwoo pulls him right back in.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Mark and Donghyuck break the news to the Yelp community. Their fans, who had slowly gotten invested in Yukhei and Jungwoo’s relationship as well as Mark and Donghyuck’s (yes, they were quite the hot topic on Yelp), spread the information far and wide.

 

_Happy news, everyone! W.Y.H got his happy ending with cute barista with the nice ass. Festivities are in order!  -- SoundcloudKidMork_

 

_Pop those bottles, babes. The legendary Paradise Bakery couple are a thing! More importantly, so are Mark and I. We’ll out-adorable them, just you wait. Also, new restaurant review coming soon, couples edition! Stay posted lovelies ;) -- FullSunshine_

 

The celebrations last for days.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

_He’s the most amazing guy I’ve ever met. I’m so lucky to have him. I love him. --W.Y.H (Lucas)_

 

_He’s alright. He kept breaking things to get to talk to me, so I hope he stops that. Hey, is it illegal to leave a review on a place you work at?...Fine. I love him too. Also, he still doesn’t know I know about the whole Yelp thing. --K.J.W (Snoopy)_

 

 

 

-

 

 

“Hey, just one question.” Jungwoo slides his hand into Yukhei’s (still kinda sweaty) grip as they walk down the softly lit street.

 

“Okay, shoot.”

 

“Why the _hell_ is your Yelp profile picture a zoomed in picture of your nostrils?”

 

“They aren’t mine.” Yukhei responds automatically.

 

There’s a beat of silence. Somewhere, Johnny whoops victoriously. Yukhei looks at him with wide eyes.

 

“Wait, _fuck_.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> fun facts abt this au: lucas was the tired student who witnessed Crazy Strawberry Lady (lele recommended the cafe to him) and he thought jungwoo was Oh So Beautiful and kind and so he dragged jisung with him there the next day under the pretense of jisung teaching him korean (which, to be fair, he was) and then lucas got so overwhelmed by jungwoo just sort of existing (he also saw the scene w the child and almost cried out of softness) that he knocked over jisungs coffee and blamed jisung bc he was trying to play it cool in front of jwoo. with a naruto backpack.
> 
> jaehyun and taeyong are husbands they own the shop together n taeil helped them open it. jisung n chenle used to be rivals (they met at a talent competition) but now theyre soft lovey dovey bfs wow. actually the bumblebee sweater jisung is wearing in the cafe is chenles (like the one he was wearing in that one vlive). jisung n duckie were trying to act tough n cool in front of their bfs at the festival (said bfs were totally ignoring them and talking about anime) but they become like bffs and have dumb gay sleepovers where they do each others nails and talk abt their bfs. chenle n mork do the same thing
> 
> markhyuck sang walk you home at the festival! they collaborated on the song n the lyrics and they both Said at the time that it was based on a typical middle school love story but actually.....they both secretly wrote it about each other bc they used to walk each other home every day after school..........
> 
> jungwoo met markhyuck when they were going thru some very difficult times and now he looks out for them as much as he can wow im: soft
> 
> anyways im graduating in two days??? uh wild. hopefully ill have more time to write (i have....several things im working on right now ;) ... )
> 
> thanks for reading! lemme know what u think (or just yell to me about nct)
> 
> twitter: pixeljunnie  
> tellonym: diotima  
> curiouscat: pixinoa


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